ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing a sweeping new effort to crack down on so-called ghost guns, with a particular focus on stopping the use of 3D printers to manufacture untraceable firearms.
The proposal, unveiled as part of Hochul’s 2026 State of the State agenda, would create new criminal penalties aimed at halting the production, distribution and possession of 3D-printed guns and their components. However, legal experts warn the plan could face constitutional hurdles.
Under the governor’s proposal, all 3D printers sold in New York would be required to include software designed to block the production of firearms and gun parts. Printers without that technology could not legally be sold in the state.
“These are homemade killing machines,” Hochul said while outlining the plan. “We will require all 3D printers sold in the state of New York to include software that blocks the production of guns and their components.”
The proposal comes more than four years after New York outlawed ghost guns — firearms that lack serial numbers and are often assembled at home.
In addition to restricting printer technology, Hochul’s plan would criminalize the unlicensed sharing or possession of digital gun-making instructions. That aspect of the proposal raises potential First Amendment concerns.
CBS6 spoke with Aaron Pam, a senior associate at Tully Rinckey, who said courts would need to weigh free speech protections against public safety goals.
“The freedom of speech, the First Amendment, has a very successful track record in our country,” Pam said. “The legality of banning those kinds of instruction manuals or digital instruction manuals is yet to be determined, but it would certainly come under First Amendment challenges.”
Questions have also been raised about how the Second Amendment might apply. Pam said that an argument is less likely to succeed when it comes to ghost guns.
“In the category of ghost guns or firearms containing no serial numbers, the Second Amendment is not likely to be a successful defense,” he said, though he noted new prosecutions would still need to address constitutional issues.
Pam also explained what separates ghost guns from other homemade weapons, such as bows and arrows.
“With a firearm, you’re looking at the ability to shoot multiple times and potentially harm multiple people,” he said, adding that concealability plays a major role. Pistols, which can be hidden on a person, are more heavily regulated than rifles or shotguns under state law.
